Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards by Danzig Baldaev

This beautifully produced boxed set of 53 postcards is a treasure trove of stunning images from the best-selling Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia series of books. These hugely popular and influential books document the Russian criminal tattoo, revealing their hidden meanings.

What makes this set unique:

• Motifs with hidden meanings: The tattoos represent the uncensored lives of the criminal classes, serving as a secret tribal language and a method of showing status within the prison system.
• Extraordinary visuals: By turns extraordinary, artful, explicit, or just strange, the tattoos reflect the lives and traditions of a previously hidden world.

What's inside the box:

• 25 original sheet drawings by Danzig Baldaev.
• 25 photographs by Sergei Vasiliev.
• Detailed descriptions: Each postcard includes a detailed explanation of the meaning of the tattoo on the reverse.
• Bonus postcards: A postcard of each of the three book covers is also included.

The drawings printed on the postcards are facsimiles of Baldaev’s original sheets, reproduced directly from the Russian Criminal Tattoo Archive. This set is a perfect gift for anyone fascinated by art, history, or the unique culture of the Russian underworld.